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Sakura wasn't quite sure what he was referring to when he said that, for wasn't she going to face him in all the phases? Just as she had just faced him and lost to him in the Water stage? It perplexed her surely, and it showed upon her face enough that Dangyun chuckled softly to himself, thinking there was much Sakura didn't yet know, but when her eyes narrowed as if she felt his amusement, his laughter died. They were still bonded he knew, but there were two types of bonds, love and hate. Which did she feel now? There was no inbetweens and he wasn't sure that she could love him after she had hated him. But surely some feeling was better than the lack of? Anger and hate did often result into love…
"I am to be the Earth you fight," Dangyun said softly, trying to erase the confusion still plainly on her face.
He heard Siwan's gasp and saw the furious shaking of her head. "That's too dangerous! You aren't a creature of magic!"
"Am I not?" he inquired lightly as he turned to her. "Am I not the master of light and dark, the true magician? Truly a creature of magic?"
"You were not born of magic…"
"All the same, you are weary Siwan and I have enough to survive this…"
"Make the battle open," cut in Eriol, his voice so slightly trembled as he thought of the consequences of a human trying to attain the elemental form. It was nearly impossible, but what Dangyun was saying was true, one that knew both sources of power was more likely to be allowed to go into elemental form than one who practiced only one of the many magics. That still didn't prevent it from being dangerous and deadly.
"I will keep my word," Dangyun responded harshly, "it will be an elemental battle," he sat down again, already beginning to chant the ancient rite Eriol knew only too well. He had never attempted nor wished to do what Dangyun was doing, but he still knew the words… and knew them well--by heart.
I sing a song to the Earth
For the favor of your power
I am no longer me
I am yours to command
I am yours for your honor
I seek the knowledge of the Earth
Grant me the soiled form
Give me the Natural being
Of wielding your magic.
And the transformation was breathtaking to say the least. From his eloquent lips came a spiritual powerfulness that not even Clow Reed at his fullest powers would have even tried to attempt, this sort of magic was deadly to invoke. Forbidden by the natural laws of magic, Eriol knew only one man who had ever tried it before… their mentor. It had damaged their instructor in the magical arts, but he had survived. Yet, even he who taught them all they knew had warned both of them to never ever use the spell that he passed down to him unless it was absolutely necessary for the good of mankind. It wasn't suppose to be used for this purpose, this was wrong.
His aura was uniquely changed. Eriol's slanted toward Sakura, knowing instinctively that she felt the power ebbing from Dangyun that normally wouldn't have been there. The power was disarming as his aura wasn't even human, but of the earth, of nature. His appearance hadn't been affected yet… until he opened his eyes and they weren't the golden tinge they normally were. Instead, they were pools of the natural woodlands. The background of nature: cascading, living, breathing was in those pools to the soul.
"Dangyun…" murmured Sakura in breathtaking awe.
I cannot defeat him, she thought with wonderment. He is magnificent. He wants this more than I do, should I even deny him what he wants when I may want it as well? But what of them? She glanced toward Eriol, Yue, and Kero… and Syaoran, Touya, Tomoyo, and Shaolin. They have fought by my side, and know that Dangyun is no good. But why do I see the good, why do I see the potential love? Maybe, it's always been there. I just haven't looked until now.
The winds picked around Sakura, forming the eye of a tornado, powerful yet eerily calming. The funnel was around her, and she thought she heard the sound of Faa's voice saying, Yes! Yes! Yes! Look inside! Look inside, Sakura for the truth is not what it always seems. Look inside of you, and you will find it. You have just not been looking for it until now.
"Sakura?" cried Syaoran as he cradled her head in his arms. "Are you okay?"
Sakura struggled to open her eyes. It took a while for her to find her voice and ask, "What happened?"
"You swayed and fell," he smiled faintly, concern showing in his eyes, "but I caught you."
"Like you always do," she whispered back sweetly, stroking his cheek. "Arigato, Syaoran."
"I'll always be here for you."
Sakura's mouth was about to form another lover-like response when Dangyun's chilling voice echoed off all the natural world into her ears, "Ready?"
Her eyes focused on him, momentarily forgetting that Syaoran existed when she saw the beauty in his eyes. It was the times like these she didn't believe he was evil. It was the times like these that she saw there was loveliness in him. He wasn't as tainted as she was led to believe by Shaolin. He wasn't, she knew that. But what exactly made him kill her?
"Yes, I'm ready," she responded as she was helped to her feet by Syaoran.
It had hurt watching that small exchange between Sakura and Syaoran. He saw how right Syaoran was for Sakura. But wasn't Sakura, his one and only soulmate? Then how was it that Sakura and Syaoran looked so utterly perfect together? Was it possible that he had been wrong, and that Sakura wasn't the one for him? But then, why did it hurt so much when he saw the two of them together? Why did it ache in his heart and rip his soul apart to see them so happy, so content?
He felt Siwan's comforting arms tighten around his neck as her lips brushed against his collarbone. "You love her," Siwan affirmed in a tight voice. "You want her, but you love her. There is a difference. Shaolin only wanted her, but you love her."
Was it possible to want Sakura and not love her?
He studied for one second Shaolin's worried face. Yes, perhaps Shaolin had wanted Sakura but he had grown affectionate of her, maybe even at one time loving her. But while there was concern written on his face, there was also a possessive jealousy about him. It was nearly the same as his own jealousy, but his was more pain while Shaolin's was not.
"Yes, I'm ready," she repeated, thinking Dangyun had not heard her the first time around.
Whatever human emotion he had felt was gone. Not a trace of his feelings were on his face or on his body. He was totally in elemental form; he was the Earth of which all things came from. And he was ready, more than ready to defeat her. He felt the power brimming in him, overflowing all other influxes of power he had ever felt before. He wanted to unleash it and see what it felt like. Was it draining? Or was it just being?
"Release Earthy!" cried out Sakura.
Yue and Kero quickly sprung up besides Dangyun, focusing all their energies on him. But he pushed them back, entrapping them in a sandstorm that quickly twisted their bodies away from his elemental form right before Eriol and Earthy leapt in front of him. Eriol's magic pulsed into Earthy as it sent a catastrophic upheaval of the dirt underneath Dangyun, but that did no good. He was part of the Earth, and formed into it, becoming part and quickly traveling beneath the two partners. He pushed up as they tried to push him down, but he succeeded.
He felt the joys of a neverending supply of magic, but he was wise. There was still more of the battle to be fought then this simple ruckus now. There was no need to show off when he could simply defeat them easily. He wasn't a flashy magician by nature, he was a conservative one. He wanted to win. He wanted Sakura. He loved Sakura.
"Eriol!" screamed Sakura in warning as Dangyun's dirt form enveloped Eriol.
The warning was not in vain however. Eriol managed to make a bubble of which he could breath in as the sand crashed around the bubble, pushing him into the womb of mother nature. He waited and bidded his time before erupting out of the sweet Earth, delivering a crushing blow to Dangyun. He then pushed with Earthy by his side with a blue, pure light. Yue's star power soon joined the fray as Kero began to breath fire.
Sakura caught her breath as Dangyun was surrounded by a powerful explosion. He has to be alright. He has to be…
And he was, to her relief. He had disappeared underneath the Earth's welcoming embrace just before the magic would have damaged him into defeat, possibly taking his life. Because it was no average magic he was facing, but the forces of the most powerful white magician to ever live? Clow Reed. Even though it was not meant to destroy, it could if used to its fullest, even one as strong as he was.
He rebounded behind them when they least expected it, just when the cloud of dust was clearing. He gripped them in his dirt claws, forcing them by squeezing every essence of air from them, making them concede victory to him so that they might take in the nourishing of life. But they would not give in. So he simply glanced at Sakura with the look that said, 'you must acknowledge your defeat because they will not.'
They were willing to die for her.
But she was not going to let that happen. If it must be so, she would go to Dangyun. If it must be so, she would go to him and maybe not be as unhappy as she might have thought. There was a kindness in him, he could have killed them. But he didn't. When faced with fighting her, he had put her in a bubble on purpose. He hadn't wanted to harm her. Then, how did he kill her before? She didn't see how he could do it. It wasn't in him.
"Return Earthy!" she called out with the knowledge that this might be the last few minutes she would ever see her family and her friends. But she didn't feel the least bit saddened. She wasn't sorry to have to be with Dangyun, but she wasn't happy with going with him. But if it must be to prevent the unthinkable from happening to her friends, she would go through for them, and maybe herself. Perhaps, then she would find out how he managed to kill her so long ago.
"I'm sorry, Sakura," Eriol said apologetically.
"It's okay. It's okay."
And it was.